


Riven

by chapter_next



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, Dystopian Harry Potter, Gen, Wizarding Wars
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-12-12 08:46:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11733636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chapter_next/pseuds/chapter_next
Summary: The current Minister of Magic is struggling to keep afloat a government body suffering repercussions after its recent corruption and decimation were brought to light. It is the catalyst for a new Dark Lord's ascension, and the Minister remains one of the only people left who can challenge them for power. Queen Winky of the Kingdom of Magical Creatures tries to keep her subjects safe and separate from the wars of witches and wizards, while also hoping to survive her newly appointed position. Hope remains though with an Unspeakable and a ghost deep within the Department of Mysteries who between them, may hold the key to ending 'The Mad One's campaign. And in an old mansion, hidden from the world, Hannah Abbot decides to turn a run down refuge for the children of war into a self-made academy for young Witches and Wizards.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________





	Riven

Chapter 1 - Mud and Blood

Before tonight Bertram had never had to worry about traipsing through what seemed like an endless amount of sticky mud at the expense of his newly attained uniform. Although his boots protected his feet and his cloak provided a safeguard from both the elements and magical attacks, his body still shook. But whether that was from the night or his fear of the woods, he didn’t know?

In the creeping darkness of Tulgey Wood, there was very little to break the monotony of rock and puddles, and broken trees; horrible twisting things. Bertram kept picturing laughing faces in the bark, startled every time he’d look up and grab hold of it to steady himself in the creeping shadows which seemed to fill every space, combing the forest for another victim. He had lost his left glove only moments before whilst peering over the edge of a sharp precipice that quickly gave way, causing a landslide into a boggy ditch below. Everything was so slippery due to the rain and every step fraught with danger. But he continued with fear and with purpose.

He stumbled again, this time managing to trip over some object. Bertram whispered a curse under his breath as his face collided with the ground. 

“It’s so bloody dark!” 

He tried to wipe the muck from his eyes and looked down at his hands. Realising that was a futile effort he sniffed his palm and stuck out his tongue just as the clouds parted and confirmed his suspicions.

A wide trail of blood, joining several others. The young Auror gasped at what lay before him. No less than 27 bodies had been dragged and laid out to form a spiralling symbol Bertram had seen only in reports. This was Sooth Slayers work, hell they’d basically signed their names with such a gruesome display. Whoever had done this had left it as a warning…or perhaps to brag? Either way, standing at the head of this gruesome sight Bertram understood, then and there that if he balked now, he may soon be joining these people in due time.

He crept closer to observe the bodies, careful not to step on any of them. Some were burned beyond recognition, others had been mauled by some hideous creature. But there was one face he could recognise very well, despite the body being covered in blood and missing several body parts. 

“No.” 

It seemed so long ago. Five, maybe six years, when Bertram bought the cottage in a little town up North. Long before he knew anything about the apprehension of dark wizards. Back then, when wizards lived in somewhat peaceful communities, where children laughed in parks and the only disputes he’d find himself confronted with involved customers complaining about the price of groceries.

Evelyn Barrow would often come in through his door pushing a giant stroller with two children in tow, the older sitting in the back with two short legs dangling out the sides, while the younger slept soundly all wrapped up safely in the front. Her husband was a member of The Magical Law Enforcement office and the two had plans to move to a muggle community in Wales. One week before the first event happened, Bertram had sold her some green beans, a carton of eggs and a bottle of milk. He’d told her to ‘say hi to Stan’ for him, expecting to see her same time next week. 

Mrs Barrow now lay at his feet, her eyes wide in fear with a hole in her chest the size of a Quaffle. She appeared to have fought, probably without the use of her wand hand that hung off her severed wrist, and ended up on a mish-mash of witches and wizards. One of hundreds…thousands who had been swallowed up by The Dark One’s cause. An endless stream of sufferers who had lost everything and had nothing to lose had once risen to avenge their loved ones. It had all been in vain. 

Whether it was the horrific sight of Mrs Barrow’s mangled corpse or the fact he had recognised her, Bertram turned and emptied the contents of his stomach. A voice from the past flickered in his head.

“You are now soldiers in this fight. We stand on the collapse of our nation. We press upon you the danger of what you undertake and ask you to steel yourself to a war none the likes of you have ever seen or heard of before.”

He’d been warned several times by the head of the secret branch within his order. Each recruit who entered the service had signed up for this, Bertram remembered. Steeling himself against the horror of what lay before him he whispered; 

“Lumos.”

Several sparks shot out of the end of his wand and trickled down lazily, illuminating the area in a red glow which only added to the macabre scene. The first thing he thought to do was assess the damage and take in whatever information he could glean. Bertram began pulling each body as best he could. Those that were whole, though barely recognisable, he dragged from the pile of the dead. But he wasn’t a great wizard, rather small in stature, and not as physically strong. And after 5 minutes of going about his task he found himself very quickly tired.

Bertram let the body he was dragging hit the wet soil with a thick squelching sound and removed his wand from his pocket. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a small hand, sticking out from under a giant wizard.

“Accio, bough!” he muttered.

A thick piece of wood made its way over to Bertram, scraping along the ground. He swiftly removed a knife and began hacking away until he had something that could be used use as a lever. Bertram rested the branch on top of the first body he examined, then using all the strength he had left in his arms, he wedged it underneath the giant carcass and put his full weight on top of it. The body shifted. Then from underneath something scrambled to safety.

The figure emerged, scrawny, but very much alive. A young girl now stared back at Bertram, who stared at him bug eyed. She looked up, her arms wrapped around her to shield her from the cold. 

“Help me!” She begged.

In her left hand, Bertram could see she was carrying a bunch of dirty rags. The girls robes were drenched and covered in mud and who knew what else? Her hair was wild and stuck out at all angles. She bore no cloak or insignia which gave Bertram pause. The Silent Brigade were well known for recruiting anybody of any age who showed talent. The A.A. were the same too. But the girl in front of Bertram presented as merely a civilian. A frightened child lost and terrified of her surroundings.

Bertram’s training suddenly sprung back into his head.

“Lycanthrope? Metamorphmagus? Polyjuice? 

Any number of magical creatures he could name off the top of his head could conjure false images to snare unsuspecting victims. He cursed himself for being so foolish, and pointed his wand at the girl.

“Drop whatever it is you are holding and raise your hands at the sky!” he said with all the authority he could muster.

The girl shook her head, her knees wobbling in the cold. A faint wisp of light started emanating from Bertram’s wand, in her right hand Bertram could make out a small lumpy object. 

“Expeliarmus!” he cried.

The object launched straight into the air and moved swiftly towards him.

“Pertificus Totalis!” he said, immediately. The girl’s body hit the ground at the same time he caught her mysterious package. Bertram stopped making his way over to the girl, satisfied she had been detained sufficiently and now peered curiously at what he now held.

“No chance of keeping dry now, you foolish boy! Release me AT ONCE!”

The gruff voice called out with an air of righteous indignation, which startled Bertram. A pile of rags shifted about, forming several creases until it resembled something of a jack o lantern face.

“I may not have teeth,” it threatened, “but I have folds. And I warn you, Soothy, harm either myself or my friend and you will wish you never stepped foot in this god forsaken forest!” 

Bertram tried to regain his composure.

“Explain, yourself, rag!”

“RAG?” it spat. “You impudent boy! Do you know to whom you are addressing? I am ‘THE THINKING CAP’, one of the few working sentient pieces of magic left in our world. I am over 1000 years old, and very likely to bust my top at present!” 

“What are you doing here?”

“You mean before you and your comrades decided to massacre your hostages for laughs? Such barbary, I haven’t seen the likes of since the days of the Death Eaters!”

“I’m not a Death Eater, or a Sooth Slayer. You may call me Wimplefix. I am a lieutenant in the Auror’s League, sent to investigate the disappearance of several of my company after our communications were cut off. We’d suspected a Sooth Slayer camp was situated in Tulgey Wood. It would seem that is correct.”

“Obviously!” huffed the hat. “The girl and I managed to escape thanks to the wizard you found us squished under. He died, shielding us from the death curse, after we were discovered and pursued, hours ago. His intention was to escort us out of this cesspit and into the arms of safety until...well as you can see.”

“I didn’t think it was common practise for Sooth Slayers to take hostages,” Bertram argued, “…unless an individual had been considered to be of some importance to The Dark One? Or perhaps if they were of noble birth?”

The hat glared.

“…she happens to fit that description, yes. BUT THAT DOESN’T MATTER AT PRESENT. We need to leave. NOW.”

The girl rose from the ground and approached the hat, bundling it up in her arms as if it were a baby.

“There-there, Hatty,” she cooed, “we will not die this night.”

“How did you-?” Bertram started. “I put you in a full body bind!”

“You thought you did.” The girls’ voice was calm and measured. “I thought it best to play along. My visions have been increasing of late. I saw the spell before it even formed in your mind.”

“Child, button your mouth!” the hat squeaked.

“No, I think I won’t, Hatty. I’m done. I’m tired of running, and tired of pretending. Either this man is going to help us, or he’ll kill us, but whatever he chooses I’m entirely sure he’s not going to take us back to the camp, and that’s good enough for me right now.”

The child turned her attention to the older man and stuck out her pale hand.

“Hello Sir, my name is Cliodona Glibbert. I was to be sacrificed to The Dark One’s beast nine days ago until I came in contact with Hatty, here. As for poor Alowis…” she glanced at the large man she’d crawled out from under, “…well, he would want us to go on. I’ve never known anyone so selfless.”

“GRYFFINDOR!!!” The hat randomly shouted.

“Is ‘The Dark One’ here do you know? Is his beast stalking these woods as we speak?”

“I don’t know” Cliodona sniffed. “All I’ve seen today are hooded figures and glimpses of the camp. I couldn’t even tell you how many took off after us. Hatty and I set off in a direction that we’d hoped would lead us to a road. There was a disturbance ahead of us, and the next thing we know, Alowis is throwing us to the ground.”

Bertram allowed himself several seconds to absorb this. Whether they were telling the truth about who they were, the hat was correct, the most important thing to do now would be to leave the area. Especially considering they had been pursued, there could be anything hiding behind a tree, or lying in wait for them in the dark. An important witch escaping with an important magical artefact was not likely to be forgotten by their capturers. And whilst Bertram was reasonably confident he could defend them from one or two injured Sooth Slayers, the idea of The Beast stalking the woods and feasting on their bones was something that made him turn white.

“Look,” Cliodona stated, “I don’t know who you are, you don’t know who we are…frankly I don’t care! But we’re safer together than if we were apart.”

“Test him!” cried the hat. “Quickly! It’s the only way to be certain!”

“Oh of course!” the girl said. “Sir, before we leave I’ll ask you to place Hatty on your head.”

“Not bloody likely,” replied Bertram. “For one thing that ridiculous thing threatened to bite me!”

The hat opened his mouth wide in response and glared furiously.

The rain ceased, though the clouds still lingered, casting moving shadows against every rock and tree. Out of the corner of his eye Bertram suddenly spotted a flash of red coming straight at them.

“GET DOWN!” He shouted. 

Bertram stepped in front of the girl, wand raised and pushed her down into a bloody lump of flesh and waited for whatever it was that had been spying on them.

The beast was on him before he could even register what was happening. Bertram fell backwards, the hulking flash of red dropping him like a sack of sweets. Two heavy paws pressed him into the wet soil, two flashing eyes daring him to move. The teenage girl was somewhere, shrieking hysterically, while the hat he could make out whipping its rags out like tentacles. The creatures teeth were bared and it growled horribly. Utterly helpless, Bertram was convinced that his fate would now be determined by the creature The Dark One had created to snuff out his enemies. The animal snapped its mouth at him. Then spoke,

“Wimplefix, what in Merlin’s name!? Have you lost your senses completely!?”

Fear suddenly replace with intense relief overwhelmed him as a gigantic fox slid off Bertram’s chest and instantly changed into a dark, muscular looking man with a short beard and a bald head. On his bare arms were several tattoos forming many different patterns and images, while the rest of his body was covered in various wounds, gashes and scars. Although he was completely naked, the man stood tall and with purpose. Bertram doubted he even felt the cold.

“Report!” he commanded.

“Fifteen bodies I’ve accounted for so far, Sir. Four from our unit. Each killed by various means at different times. Dragged to the centre of the clearing in the shape of ‘The Winding Woe’, most likely to announce they know we come, and that they are unafraid.”

“So they’re finally crawling out of the cracks like the cockroaches they are?” He grunted. “What else?”

“One civilian, a hostage of the S.S. I came across 20 minutes ago, Sir.” He paused when he remembered the hat.

“We’ll take her with us,” the fox-man said. “You there, girl. Can you change form?”

“No,” she answered. 

“And you have no wand?” 

Cliodona shook her head.

“There were none on any of the bodies,” Bertram added, “and I’ve yet to check the perimeter for any Sooth Slayers…I could lend you mine, if you have need, General?”

“No,” said the man. “Best you hold onto it given the situation at present. I would ask for you to conjure up some salves and bandages, but I’ll be returning to my animal form in a moment to clear a path for you.”

“Sir,” Bertram pressed, “are you okay? What happened to you out there?”

“The Mad One happened to me, Wimplefix, or more accurately his Mistress.”

“The BEAST?” he cried, “So it IS here then!”

“It is. And before this night is through, young Master, we will meet them in battle. Before the dawn we will be their end or theirs/ours.” Bertram shivered in response.

“Gather yourselves,” the General urged. “We’ll make for base, follow the river until we come into contact with one of the factions and spread the message. I suspect we’ll come by one of ours first, and if not, well it won’t be the first time I’ve picked dark wizard out of my teeth tonight.

The man motioned for the girl to follow him away from the clearing, but she shook her head once more, pointing directly to Hatty. 

The general looked confused. Bertram sighed.

“Er- she wants you to try on the hat, Sir.”

“The hat?”

The magical object jerked forward, pushing Cliodona with it. 

“Ahhh!” it exclaimed. Hatty’s tone suddenly softened, affection pouring out of every crevice. To Bertram it almost looked like it was smiling. 

“It’s alright, child. This one has already been sorted. Took me all of 3 minutes and 22 seconds if I recall. I remember you well, young man.”

“And I ask you to keep it to yourself, old friend”, the General nodded. Bertram could hear his voice soften as he spoke, leaving Clio and himself confused. The General gently lifted the hat, holding it firmly in his right hand, while motioning Bertram forward with the other. 

“Well let’s hurry this up before the entire Sooth Slayer army overrun us. Step up, Wimplefix. Step up to the stool.”


End file.
